Mary Main

Mary Main is an American psychologist notable for her work in the field of attachment. A Professor at the University of California Berkeley, Main is particularly known for her introduction of the ‘disorganized’ infant attachment classification and for development of the Adult Attachment Interview and coding system for assessing states of mind regarding attachment. This work has been described as ‘revolutionary' and Main has been described as having ‘unprecedented resonance and influence’ in the field of psychology.

Early Work

John Bowlby originally proposed the concept of the ‘attachment behavioral system’, an orientation and set of dispositions which evolved because it provided protection from predation and other risks to survival. The system has three components in early childhood: the monitoring and maintaining of proximity to an attachment figure or figures, flight to these individuals as a haven of safety in times of alarm, and use of these individuals as a secure base for exploration. A collaborator of Bowlby’s, Mary Ainsworth, developed a standardised laboratory observation procedure named the ‘Strange Situation’ in which an infant would undergo two brief separations and reunions from their caregiver as well as contact with a stranger.